Key holder

ABSTRACT

The invention is a key-ring made up of a contiguous turn coil spring and of a base to which it releasably is mounted in the form of a U. Each end of the spring has an end member fixed thereto which comprises a neck portion and a spherical head may passage, this aperture being followed by two seats allowing sliding movement therein of the neck portions but preventing withdrawal of the head.

[ July 16, 1974 United States Patent [191 Tcherdakoff 138,805 1/1953Sweden................... 248,593 6/1912 Germany 281,099 12/19301taly.....,..,...... 1,028,606 2/1953 France...... 36,853 5/1955Poland....................

S.A. Arthus Bertrand, Paris, France Oct. 13, 1972 Appl, No.: 297,329

Primary ExaminerRobert L. Wolfe Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Raymond A.Robic; Arthur Schwartz [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 13,1971 France 71.36834 ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 70/456 R, 70/457 [51] Int.A47g 29/10 Th invention is a key-ring made up of a contiguous [58] Fieldof Search,...,.. 70/457, 459, 458, 456 R; turn coil spring and of a baseto which it releasably is 24/3 K, 123 mounted in the form of a U. Eachend of the spring has an end member fixed thereto which comprises a neckportion and a spherical head may passage, this aperture being followedby two seats allowing sliding movement therein of the neck portions butpreventing withdrawal of the head.

24/1 23 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,158,566 1/1958 70/459 8Claims, 13 Drawing Figures KEY HOLDER This invention relates toimprovements in key-rings.

Conventional key-rings are manufactured in various types such as theopen spiral ring type, the ring-andlever type, the snap-hook type, thespring-ring type and others. I have found that the majority of thesekey-rings exhibit difficuties of opening and closing and, in some cases,there is with them a risk that the keys be lost.

It is therefore an objet of the present invention to provide an improvedkey-ring that enables great facility of opening and closing as will asgreater security against loss as well as offering the possibility ofpresenting it in various models.

Accordingly, there is provided a key-ring comprising a coil springhaving at an endthereof an end member provided with a neck and anenlarged head portion.

In one embodiment of the invention a coil spring is provided at one endwith an end member releasably receivable in a base member, the other endbeing rigidly fixed to the base member.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, embodimentsthereof will now be described, by way of example only, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a key-ring according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the key-ring of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the key-ring of FIGS. 1 and 2 with the-coilspring hanging from the base plate from one of its ends;

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c are bottom, front and side views, respectively, of abase plate according to a first embodiment;

FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c are bottom, front and side views, respectively, of abase plate according to a second embodiment;

FIGS. 6a, 6b and 6c are bottom, front and side views, respectively, of abase plate according to a third embodiment, and

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a base plate according to a fourthembodiment. The key-ring which is to retain a key K comprises, a coilspring 1 of the tension-spring type having contiguous turns and whoseends 2 each receive an end member 3. Each end member 3 comprises anenlarged head 6 connected to an extension piece 4 by a neck portion 5.The extension piece 4, whose diameter is slightly greater than that ofthe bore of the spring, may either be screwed into an end 2 of thespring 1, or it may be of such a size as to form a press fit into thespring 1: the head 6 and the neck portion 5 lying outwardly of thespring end 2.

Spring 1 is normally linear, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 but will assumethe U-shaped configuration N FIG. 1 when the ends 2 are urged towardseach other. It will retain the U-shaped configuration when mounted on abase plate such as that shown in FIGS. 2 and 4a. In this particularembodiment, the base plate 7 is provided with a cut-out forming acentral aperture 8 communicating with a pair of lateral slots 10extending in opposite directions away from the aperture 8.

The size of aperture 8 is such as to allow the passage of the head 6 ofone end member 3 therethrough, the coil spring being retained in thebase plate 7 when the neck 5 of the extension 4 is slid into engagementwith one of the slots 10. The transverse dimension or diameter of thespherical head 6 is greater than the transverse width of the slot 10 sothat the spring 1 can only be removed from the base plate 7 by slidingthe neck 5 along the slot 10 and withdrawing the head 6 through theaperture 8, it being understood that the diameter of the neck portion 5is smaller than the outer diameter of the spring 1, the latter beinggreater than the width of the slot 10.

To use the key-ring, one end of the spring 1 is mounted in the baseplate 4, as aforesaid, and the end 11 of a key K to be held on thekey-ring is moved toward the said end of the spring 1. The latter end isthen forced towards the base plate 7 and the corresponding head 6 ispassed through the aperture 8 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3.

Due to the resilience between the ends 2 of the curved spring 1, theneck 5 of the end member 3 on the said other end of the spring 1 isforced into the unoccupied slot 10. Both ends 2 of the spring 1 are nowretained within the base plate 7 as shown in FIG. 1.

.To remove the key K, one of the ends 2 of the spring 1 must be slidalong in its respective slot 10 towards the other end 2, until thehead 6of its end member 3 can be withdrawn through the aperture 8. The spring1 will then reassume the configuration shown in full lines in FIG. 3.

The base plate 7 may have several configurations.

Thus in FIGS. 4b and 4c.the base plate 7 of FIG. 4a is shown to have apair of upstanding flanges 4f adapted to receive an identity tag 9(FIG. 1) through a chain 12, the top surface of the'base plate 7 beingsubstantially fiat.

FIGS. 50 to Sc show a base plate 7 with a substantially rectangularaperture 8 and having a curved outline. FIGS. 6a to 6c show a base plate7' with a pair of pertures 8", each communicating with a single slot10', said slots 10" extending colinearly away from the respectiveaperture. The base plate 7" is in the form of a substantiallycylindrical tube.

Alternatively, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, one end of the spring1 is permanently fixed to the base plate 7; the free end of the spring 1being releasably engagable in the base plate through an aperture 8' anda slot 10. The permanently fixed end is through the use of a hole 13having a diameter slightly greater than that of the nick portion 5 butsmaller than the outer diameter of the head 6 and of the spring 1.

I claim:

1. A key-ring comprising:

a. a normally rectilinear contiguous turn coil spring having at leastone open end;

b. an end member secured to said open end and formed of a substantiallycylinderical neck portion projecting out of said open end, said endmember being also formed with a substantially spherical head connectedto said neck portion the diameter of which is greater than that of saidneck portion;

c. a base portion formed with an aperture therein, said aperture beingof a size to allow passage of said spherical head, a slot incommunication with said aperture, said slot being of a width such as toallow sliding passage of said neck portion, the width being smaller thanthe diameter of said spherical head, the diameter of the neck portionbeing smaller than the outer diameter of the spring, and

the outer diameter of the spring being greater than the width of theslot; and

d. means securing the other end of said coil spring to said base portionin proximity to said aperture such that, in use, said coil spring isbent into a U for in- 5 sertion of said head through said aperture andsaid neck portion slides along and to the end of said slot under theresiliency of the bent spring.

2. A key ring comprising:

a. a normally rectilinear coil spring for supporting at least one keythereon.

b. said coil spring having at least one open end,

0. an end member having a neck portion and an enlarged head portion, atleast a portion of said neck having a diameter slightly greater than thediameter of said open end,

d. a base member provided with an aperture receiving said neck portionand said enlarged head portion therethrough,

e. said aperture communicating with a slot dimensioned to receive saidneck portion but preventing passage therethrough of said enlarged headportion,

f. wherein said coil spring is held to said base by means of said neckportion being inserted-into the open end of said coil spring and saidenlarged head inserted in said aperture and slid into said slot portion.

3. A key ring as defined in claim 2 wherein said coil spring includes asecond end, means on said second end and associated with said basemember for holding said second end to said base member, whereby saidcoil spring is bent into a U when both of said ends are held on saidbase member.

4. A key-ring as claimed in claim 2 wherein both ends of the coil springare each provided with an end memher.

5'; A keyring as claimed in claim 2 wherein said aperture communicateswith a pair of slots, each slot being dimensioned to receive the neckportion of an end member but to prevent passage therethrough of theenlarged head portion, the slots extending in opposite directions awayfrom the aperture.

6. A key-ring as claimed in claim 2 wherein the base member includes apair of apertures, each aperture being dimensioned to allow passagetherethrough of the head portion of an end member.

7. A key-ring as claimed in claim 6 wherein each aperture communicateswith a slot dimensioned to receive the neck portion of an end member,but able to prevent passage therethrough of the head portion of an endmember, the slots extending generally colinearly in opposite directionsaway from the respective aperture.

flanges adapted to receive an indentification tag.

1. A key-ring comprising: a. a normally rectilinear contiguous turn coilspring having at least one open end; b. an end member secured to saidopen end and formed of a substantially cylinderical neck portionprojecting out of said open end, said end member being also formed witha substantially spherical head connected to said neck portion thediameter of which is greater than that of said neck portion; c. a baseportion formed with an aperture therein, said aperture being of a sizeto allow passage of said spherical head, a slot in communication withsaid aperture, said slot being of a width such as to allow slidingpassage of said neck portion, the width being smaller than the diameterof said spherical head, the diameter of the neck portion being smallerthan the outer diameter of the spring, and the outer diameter of thespring being greater than the width of the slot; and d. means securingthe other end of said coil spring to said base portion in proximity tosaid aperture such that, in use, said coil spring is bent into a U forinsertion of said head through said aperture and said neck portionslides along and to the end of said slot under the resiliency of thebent spring.
 2. A key ring comprising: a. a normally rectilinear coilspring for supporting at least one key thereon. b. said coil springhaving at least one open end, c. an end member having a neck portion andan enlarged head portion, at least a portion of said neck having adiameter slightly greater than the diameter of said open end, d. a basemember provided with an aperture receiving said neck portion and saidenlarged head portion therethrough, e. said aperture communicating witha slot dimensioned to receive said neck portion but preventing passagetherethrough of said enlarged head portion, f. wherein said coil springis held to said base by means of said neck portion being inserted intothe open end of said coil spring and said enlarged head inserted in saidaperture and slid into said slot portion.
 3. A key ring as defined inclaim 2 wherein said coil spring includes a second end, means on saidsecond end and associated with said base member for holding said secondend to said base member, whereby said coil spring is bent into a U whenboth of said ends are held on said base member.
 4. A key-ring as claimedin claim 2 wherein both ends of the coil spring are each provided withan end member.
 5. A key-ring as claimed in claim 2 wherein said aperturecommunicates with a pair of slots, each slot being dimensioned toreceive the neck portion of an end member but to prevent passagetherethrough of the enlarged head portion, the slots extending inopposite directions away from the aperture.
 6. A key-ring as claimed inclaim 2 wherein the base member includes a pair of apertures, eachaperture being dimensioned to allow passage therethrough of the headportion of an end member.
 7. A key-ring as claimed in claim 6 whereineach aperture communicates with a slot dimensioned to receive the neckportion of an end member, but able to prevent passage therethrough ofthe head portion of an end member, the slots extending generallycolinearly in opposite directions away from the respective aperture. 8.A key-ring as claimed in claim 2 wherein the base member includes a pairof dependent converging side flanges adapted to receive anindentification tag.